Following on from the first post about writers on AI writing, we thought it would be great to talk to more writers about their experiences with AI writing software. 

Here are the two questions we asked the writers: 

•  What’s the most important thing writers should know about creating content with AI content generation software?
• What is going to be the impact of AI content generation on writers? 

Writer Turned Marketer Weighs in on AI Writing Tools

Vix Reitano, Founder & CEO Agency 6B 

Let’s start with Vix Reitano 

Next up, is Jim Gallant, who provides B2B Copywriting and Content Creation for clients in the Boston area and beyond. 

What’s the most important thing writers should know about creating content with AI content generation software?

When I first heard about AI content generations about two years ago, it was in the context of newspapers automatically reporting on high school sports. And then I ran into a friend of mine who was an AI developer and he said, “ oh, writers should be replaced with technology” and I said, “ it’s like saying that sculptures will be replaced by 3d modeling applications.”

And what is going to be the impact of AI content generation on writers?

I think it’s going to enable them to go from the research part of writing and writers break it down and everybody has their own workflow. Some people will use the tools to accelerate the research part of writing. And that’s been my experience, using the tools to find content research such as select news feeds and different sources of information that I probably wouldn’t know existed otherwise.

And next, Tony Hardman is the founder of Not Quite Zen, and his thoughts were: 

I think the most important thing writers need to know is that it can really help you expand on what you already do well. I use AI to help me create an outline and provide basic ideas for each section of the article. But I always go in and expand on each topic bringing my own lens to it. So I’m able to write a 2,000+ word article in an hour or two. It makes the content quality better, and I’m able to rank faster because I can cover a subject fully. 

The impact of AI content generation for writers will depend on the use case. For marketers who are writing landing pages and email copy, their jobs are going to get easier, and I think we’re not too far from AI copy that needs little to no edits. For long-form writers, I think it’s going to weed out the great writers from the mediocre ones. If you use AI that can write great copy, then you better have something interesting to add if you want to stand out from the competition. 

Tony Hardman is the founder of Not Quite Zen, a mental health blog and podcast. After surviving years of anxiety, depression, and anger, Tony has found a way to lead a calmer happier life and he’s sharing that experience in hope that it will help others. 

Next, Kim M. Bayne

The most important thing…

AI software can help improve your content dev efficiency but you still need to have or develop basic writing skills. That’s true of so many skill sets, like graphic design and photography. For example, when you ask about someone’s camera, keep in mind how many years they spent developing an “eye” for the right shot. Having the right tools is certainly important, but no one should mistake AI as a complete substitute for hands-on experience and good judgment. Worst case? AI will help you fine-tune your skills and judgment. By the way, I know my viewpoint might not age well but that’s fine. I have hope for the future of AI.

How it will impact writers…

I see lots of opportunities via AI, like being able to take on more writing projects. But I also know that a writer’s skill set needs to evolve, and time will tell what that will look like. If you recognize AI is another evolution of word processing software, it shouldn’t concern you. There will always be new features, so there’s never a need to spend time on writer’s tasks that can be automated. It means a writer can focus on what they like best and stop dealing with the mundane aspects of creating content.

Kim M. Bayne is a writer, author, digital media strategist, and producer with experience in creating content for SaaS and, most recently, retail footwear marketing.

And here’s what Chadwick Burnaw had to say: 

What’s the most important thing writers should know about creating content with AI content generation software?

It’s important to have a general understanding of the topic at hand, either through experience or a couple of hours of research, before creating content with AI. The AI today is pretty good, but it is not perfect and it can really write some stuff that to people who do understand the topic can sound like nonsense. So, it’s important to understand the topic and to proofread the content as well for accuracy.

What is going to be the impact of AI content gen on writers?

It’s going to replace decent writers, for good. With AI content writing software, you’ll need to be a really prolific writer in order to get hired. I think another impact is that all writers will be forced to focus on long-form content writing, which AI is still not good at. It can write short chunks of content well, assuming the content is accurate, but it can’t produce pages of content and string together thousands of words together into a single thought or point without a lot of guidance. Human writers will still be needed to write long-form content, like books and manuals, etc. But that’ll change sooner than later.

Chadwick Burnaw, Founder, Wazo Growth, and growth consultant who helps businesses unlock the power of online marketing and artificial intelligence.